Paralegal - Paralegal Jenner & Block Employee Review

2.0
20 July 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The firm sponsors a Happy hour every Friday for everyone except the secretaries and mailroom staff. Benefits are good but expensive. The OT is good, when the firm is busy.

Cons

The hours are brutal and the culture is awful. Everyone is out for themselves. When mistakes happen they are more interested in blame shifting then simply fixing the issue and moving on. They have raised their rates to the point that clients are leaving in droves. Management is more interested in increasing partner salariy ratios then in staying economically competitive with other firms. It's a terrible business model that is destined to fail. How are they supposed to bring in new business when the clients scoff at their billable rates. They also use contract and staff attorneys in place of associates as a work around cost saving measure. Clients are expecting the best of the best, not attorneys that either were fired from other firms for incompetence or a "C's get degrees' law school graduate. Ultimately when they screw up they blame a member of the staff to save their jobs. You go to Jenner to work with the very best and if they can't or rather won't accommodate a clients budget they either lose the business or go to their C team. It's a lose lose situation. If you want to bring in clients you need to be economically competitive and offer the very best, in this case they don't do either. The last few years the firm has been involved in large scale investigations for Lehmam Brothers and GM which have artificially enlarged the profit margin but it's not telling the true story. Overall business is down because clients can get the same level of service for better rates elsewhere.

Explore other reviews about Jenner & Block

5.0
24 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The workplace environment was really friendly and encouraged personal growth.

Cons

The work itself can get a bit boring and redundant at times.

4.0
29 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Discovery attorneys have two different bosses, the department supervisor and the specific partners and/or associates they work with daily. Most of the other discovery attorneys and some of the partners and associates are great to work with. The firm offers great benefits and all the perks you would expect at a world-class law firm.

Cons

While many of the partners and associates are great to work for, litigation support management is overwhelmed and the department feels like a rudderless ship. One person directly supervises discovery attorneys, staff attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, and several support departments - well over 100 employees. No one could effectively manage that many people. Some discovery attorneys are told that none of the discovery attorneys are ever promoted to staff attorney while they watch other discovery attorneys get promoted to staff attorney positions. It is difficult to tell whether management is being deceptive or is just disorganized and flying by the seat of their pants. Also, discovery and staff attorneys are often disrespected by partners, associates, and management. Management decisions seem to be made by supervisors who only see the numbers (billed hours) and are not familiar with the quality of the attorneys' work or how well the attorneys work with one another. There is a disconnect between providing quality legal services to clients/partners and having success within the firm. Bonuses, promotions, and layoffs seem to be determined by higher-up number crunchers who do not personally know many/any of the attorneys.

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